You are here

Blog Archive - March 2014

Puerto Rican playwright Jose Rivera said this about artists in his USC – School of Theatre Commencement Speech: “We are alchemists and con artists, acrobats and used car salesmen, liars and enlighteners, and we are here to do the earth’s bidding because the earth is screaming out its stories and begging for us to write them down, and act them out, and draw her pretty pictures on the face of the clouds.” It’s this sense of purpose and enlivened passion that brought me to UW’s School of Drama. It’s this conviction to pursue my purpose and dream that has energized me through grumpy mornings due to lack of sleep, long hours in dusty classrooms, and exhausting rehearsals. The struggle has been real, and so has the fight!

There are many moments that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. A few are absolute gems. One of the ones that confirmed how much I absolutely loved this acting thing was on closing night of Pentecost....

There are nine words that can strike either fear and/or motivation into the heart of a third year MFA actor: “What are you going to do after you graduate?”

I have nine responses to this question. That’s because over the last three years, I have learned that I’m capable of so much more than I ever thought. Theatre has, once again, proven to be a training ground not just for itself, but also for life.

I’ll share such an instance with you. We were nearing performances for Tom Jacobson’s The Twentieth-Century Way. It’s a fast-paced, two-person show and I couldn’t stop worrying that I was going to say the wrong line and completely derail. It got to the point that I became obsessive and was anticipating a catastrophic event on opening. I had to let go and trust that I would know what to say when I had to say it. I had to trust that my scene partner, director, stage manager, faculty, and indeed the audience, were all there to help me, not to judge me. Once I let go...